There’s a lot of fuss, in my head, over what comics to read with my kids. I get the feeling that big sister will read just about anything. Little brother, on the other hand, needs the action to jump off the page and really suck him into the story. Most of his reading has been comprised on things like construction site books, cars, and basically super engaging stories. Anything less and he’s gone.

I was a lot like that as a kid- actually I’m still a lot like that. I’ve just been through school where you have to read books even if you don’t like them. In my childhood, the majority of books I threw myself into were the Choose Your Own Adventure. The story had to move fast, and they usually did. My sisters, on the other hand, enjoyed long involved books like Anne of Green Gables.

Oh, how I teased them. I don’t anymore, cos, well, I’d hope I’m more mature than that. I hope. Ok. You know I’m not but I don’t tease them for their reading choices.

Back to my kids.

We started with Owly. This is the sweetest little owl you’ll even know. The best part is that it’s close to wordless. There are symbols that make my 4.5 yo say she’s reading and she gets a kick out of that. Another thing I love about Owly is that this little guy shows what it means to be a true friend, and it doesn’t hit you over the head like it’s the moral to the story sort of thing. Those kind of obvious moral stories bother me to no end. Owly is sincere and thoughtful and tears up when another animal thinks he’s being mean.

I also got to meet Andy Runton and he’s an awesome guy.

The World of Quest is another recommend from my old friend Michael. (I’m not saying you’re old, btw.) This book has sword fighting so if you’re not into that, don’t introduce this one yet. I don’t seem to mind swords. I also thought this would be too scary for my 4.5 year old but she liked it a lot.

The back of the book likens TWOQ to Calvin & Hobbes. I couldn’t agree more. The animated Quest has an older kid playing the part of Prince Nestor. I’m not sure about that choice but I haven’t seen it. I like how it’s done in the book.

Amulet is another one that I thought would be too scary for the 4.5 year old. I did skip over the beginning of Book 1 where the father dies. I don’t need her to think her Papi is gonna die. Then, the mom is taken by some weird creature but we do see her later in the first book so we know she’s okay. The two kids have to save her.

The illustrations in these books are really gorgeous. I’m loving anything Kibuishi has touched. His

Korgi is a new one for us. It’s like Owly in that it’s wordless but the story is action packed. My little girl has been staring into this book since we brought it home.

The kids also enjoy their Tiny Titans and Super Pets but the ones I mentioned above are comics that I truly enjoy, as an adult, as well as a parent reading to my non-readers.

I know I’m not the best reviewer. Go find these books in the library or borrow them from a friend (like me) and decide for yourself. And enjoy!

Do you have any other comics or graphic novels you enjoy reading that you read with your kids? My kids are 3 and 4.5 so my choices are based on their level of interest and maturity. Leave your faves in the comments!

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